The father of this rapt little boy will have been grateful for the sheet of glass separating him from a hungry lioness baring her teeth inches from the child’s face.
The enormous lioness engaged in a ten minute ‘staring contest’ with seven-year-old Matthew at a zoo in the U.S, while the boy’s astonished father looked on.
But while the big cat was initially aggressive, she soon became curious about her young visitor, and even began to mirror the little boy’s actions; standing on her hind legs to press its giant paws against the glass walls of the enclosure.
Hungry: The enormous lioness let out a roar as she stared at the rapt seven-year-old boy from behind the glass of her enclosure at a zoo
Photographer Armando Sierra said his young son had screamed when the lioness, named Kachifa, let out a deafening roar upon first approaching him, but then continued to calmly stare at the huge creature for several minutes at Zoo Miami in Miami, Florida.
‘He likes to hear the lions growl and, since the females are very playful, he can just watch them interact.
‘As we approached the glass the lioness immediately charged with aggression towards Matthew,’ the photographer said.
‘She then started to scratch and claw at the glass as if wanting to play and she followed Matthew wherever he moved. She seemed to be analysing him and was waiting to see what his next move would be – she wasn’t interested at all in me.’
At one point the lioness stood towering on her hind legs and pressed her paws up against the glass wall, staring at her young visitor the whole time.
Curious: Initially aggressive, the lioness then began to mirror the little boy’s actions, towering at around 9ft tall as she stood on her hind legs and pressed her paws against the glass
Staring competition: The lioness never took her eyes from Matthew’s as she stalked around the enclosure
Deadly: The lioness opens her mouth in a roar as she gazes as the little boy sitting calmly on the other side of the glass
‘Matthew thought this was an awesome moment in his life and couldn’t believe it was still going on after about 10 minutes,’ Mr Sierra said.
‘It was amazing for me but tough in the sense that I wanted to stop and admire the lioness’ beauty, but I didn’t know when the interaction would end.
‘It was fun to photograph as I’ve never seen anything like this before – focusing was tough though as the lioness was constantly moving.’
Intense: The astonishing interaction between the lioness and the boy lasted around ten minutes
Unblinking: The lioness and her young visitor gaze at one another through the glass at Zoo Miami in Florida
Fascination: Matthew, seven, loves visiting the zoo to see the lions, his father Armando Sierra said
Face to face: The lioness seemed to be analysing the little boy’s every move, his father said